MERCEDES-BENZ | Shaping Air: The CLA as a Sculpture

The 2013 CLA by Mercedes-Benz — with a record Cd value of 0.23 and a drag area Cd x A of 0.51 m² — is the aerodynamics champion within the Mercedes-Benz model range and among all production vehicles. What is more, the sleekly designed car goes into the record books as the most streamlined production car in the world. It has such a low wind resistance, that its fuel consumption is significantly lower than cars that are less capable of adapting to the pressure of the wind.

Image: mercedes-benz.com

Not only does it excel in extraordinary lightweight construction, but it also sports a clean, aesthetically enticing design. So alluring that artist Yasuaki Onishi, the master of the ‘Reverse of Volume’, who normally focuses on putting emptiness on stage, decided that this time he’s going to use more substantial subject matter. His recent project ‘Shaping Air: The CLA as a Sculpture’ uses the CLA‘s body as a template for the shape of his artwork.

‘It’s got something organic about it; a natural, aerodynamic form. I think the parallels to my artwork can definitely be found here.’ – Yasuaki Onishi on the CLA